Mushroom Ragu

1 TB olive oil
8 oz cremini mushrooms, chopped
½ shallot chopped
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ c sherry
1 tbsp AP flour
1 tbsp butter
OPTIONAL: Heavy Cream

Heat oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallot. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper and sauté until juices evaporate, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and sauté until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the sherry. Cover and simmer until the sherry has reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Stir the flour and of butter in a small bowl to form a paste, then stir the paste in the mushroom mixture. Cover and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir parsley in, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you allow the sherry to completely evaporate it's ok to use up to 1/2 cup of water to thin.

OPTIONAL: You can replace water with heavy cream, makes it awfully rich.

Amy serves this over Polenta, I put it on pasta, was amazing. Also served over baked puff pastry.